Bill Oddie's Wild Side - Episode 2

Bill Oddie, cameraman John Aitchison and sound recorder Chris Watson discover the hidden lives of Britain's animals. Bill and John kick off this programme in Dorset where John's challenge is to try and film all six species of British reptile in one day. A near impossible task, but Bill provides John with a helping hand from a biker with a supply of roofing materials. With the elements stacked against him the pressure bears down on John as his search for snakes and lizards becomes a race against the clock. Over on the East Anglian coast, Bill tells us how it took a world war to entice one bird back into Britain. The avocet is a true success story and has long been adopted as the logo for the RSPB, but Bill demonstrates that underneath that calm, elegant exterior lies a belligerent bully eager to play dirty. Plus what is the most colourful bird in Britain? A question that has us all scratching our heads. Although there are a few vibrant contenders, Bill shows us one that we all too often take for granted, the pheasant. He demonstrates that this international supermodel of the bird world has plenty of show, but not a lot of know. Bill also looks to the aid of wildlife sound recordist, Chris Watson, to help him sing like a bird. With a bit of techno wizardry Chris manages to slow down a wrens call so Bill can impersonate it.